Pomperaug wrestling coach O'Keefe celebrates 300th career win

Updated 11:12 pm, Friday, February 14, 2014

There's no shortage of reasons why coaches don't stay in the same positions for a long time.

Some, for example, simply don't maintain the same passion they once did for their sport.

One conversation with Pomperaug wrestling coach Mike O'Keefe will let you know he has never lost that passion, even after 28 years on the job.

If anything, it burns even brighter today, and the veteran of Pomperaug athletics claimed his 300th win as a varsity coach when his Panthers defeated Bethel 41-24 on Wednesday.

O'Keefe had a difficult time pinpointing a signature moment during his tenure as the leader of the wrestling program, but he appreciates the efforts of all of his wrestlers.

"It's been 28 years of fond memories coaching a lot of kids. We've had some state champions, some State Open champions, and those are the real moments I look back upon," O'Keefe said. "They come out freshman year and you say `this kid has a tough road.' A few years later, they've developed and they get a big win for you. Or it could just be a kid who works hard, perseveres and gets better."

In an effort to not put undue pressure on his team, O'Keefe decided not to let the Panthers know that he was closing in on the landmark victory, and instead chose to downplay the achievement and keep the focus on the team.

"I kept it from players; they didn't know. I didn't want to put pressure on them coming into season, especially knowing we had a lot of individual tournaments and duels," O'Keefe said. "We needed 13 wins, but I didn't want to say anything to put any pressure on them."

Following the victory over Bethel, O'Keefe spilled the beans.

"They were very happy for me and we waited until after match was over during our little post-match chat like we always do," O'Keefe said. "I told them I wanted to thank them and that it was my 300th win, and they were very excited."

O'Keefe joined the Pomperaug coaching staff as an assistant to Jeremy Gilbe, a position he held for four years until the head coaching spot became available. Even with the opening, O'Keefe was far from certain that he'd be the man chosen for the job, much less go on to record 300 victories.

"No, not really," O'Keefe said with a laugh when asked if he ever thought he'd spend so much time at Pomperaug. "I didn't even expect to be the head coach. I was an assistant coach to Jeremy Gilbe, and he left and I told them they needed to find a new head coach. Then they told me I needed to go find a new assistant."

O'Keefe, who wrestled at Brewster High School in New York before competing at the collegiate level at SUNY Albany and graduating with a Master's in Education, is as a social studies teacher at Pomperaug, a position which he has also held for 28 years.

"I love it. I love all the kids and being in the classroom," O'Keefe said. "I wouldn't trade it for anything."

O'Keefe's longevity at Pomperaug has allowed many of his former wrestlers to come back and lend a hand for the "wrestling family" at the high school.

"I think about my alumni that come into the room and work with young kids, or guys who come back from college, or those who take time off from work," O'Keefe said. "We've got Danbury and Waterbury police officers who come in that were my senior captains. Those are the things that I look at. It's not one moment where you won this or won that, but it's the wrestling family we've developed here."